Luke McCormick has insisted that he believes that Bristol Rovers are now heading in an upward trajectory on the back of their 1-0 win at Mansfield Town on Saturday which extended their unbeaten run to four matches.
The attacking midfielder earned his third consecutive start for the Gas at the One Call Stadium and scored the decisive goal early in the second half when tapping home Isaac Hutchinson’s cross at the back post.
Having scored his first league goal of the campaign two months prior at Peterborough United from the bench, the 25-year-old’s subsequent lack of game time has been surprising with McCormick being limited to brief appearances from the bench or not even making it onto the pitch in the first place.
However, since coming back into the side, he’s been a notable threat and the goal is certainly one that has been coming in recent weeks.
Although Saturday’s victory was Rovers’ first in League One in four, it stretched their unbeaten run in the division to three games, four including the FA Cup victory over Weston-super-Mare, and based on recent performances, McCormick believes that the Gas are very much heading upwards.
“We know what we’ve got in the changing rooms,” the Rovers goal scorer declared post-match. “I think the fans are starting to see that. It’s consistency. We have a young group and we’re still moulding a lot of boys together. But we’re getting to that stage now where we’re starting to turn the screw. We’ve got lots of good games before Christmas so hopefully we can go on a little run.
“I think we’re positive. We are concentrating on ourselves. Like you could see today, that was pitch personality. That was, for want of a better word, cojones. It was just a real, almost ballsy, performance and it was a group of lads that worked really hard day in day and now I think we’re just starting to see the rewards of that.
“Obviously, it’s a results based game,” he added. “But you can see the talent and the boys, I work with them every day, great lads, great group of boys, all hungry to do well and we’re only going to keep getting better.”
After impressing in pre-season and then getting a few goals in games against Tottenham Hotspur Under-21s in the EFL Trophy and Peterborough, McCormick has still had to bide his time for an opportunity throughout the majority of this season so far.
No one associated with Rovers has ever doubted the attacking midfielder’s quality but he’s struggled for consistency since returning on a permanent basis in 2022 after his loan spell in the 2020/21 campaign.
Last season he scored two goals early in the season against Charlton Athletic and Port Vale and was playing some of his best football in a Gas shirt but an injury picked up a few weeks before Joey Barton was sacked was the start of numerous issues that played up over the course of the campaign.
Following that game against Oxford United in which he got injured, McCormick went on to make just eight league appearances for the remainder of the season with an FA Cup goal against Norwich City in the mix too. Now, although it’s only been three starts in a row, it seems as though the creative is finally getting the chance he’s been working hard for as he looks to build consistency in blue-and-white quarters.
“I think obviously it’s been difficult,” the midfielder confessed. “It’s been very up and down, but that’s football. That’s life. I worked really hard in the summer to get my back in a place where I could play consistently. That was difficult last year. Yeah, just to get a run of games. That’s three back to back. I feel great. I feel fit and I think I’ll only get better.
“I think there’s only one way in my brain to go about things and that’s just to go harder. Work hard every day. Perfect your craft. Keep going and your chance will come and then when it comes, you’ve got to take it and that’s what I’m doing.”
In a team that is full of new arrivals, McCormick is the only player currently in the squad to have played for Rovers before their League Two promotion campaign in 2021/22. The then-21-year-old was on loan from Chelsea having had his first loan spell the campaign before at Shrewsbury Town.
Although he was part of a team that finished bottom of League One, the playmaker scored six goals that season before heading back to London, although it wasn’t to Chelsea, it was a permanent move to AFC Wimbledon where he suffered another relegation.
Bristol Rovers Live on Whatsapp
Join Bristol Rovers Live’s Whatsapp community for all the biggest Bristol Rovers stories sent straight to your phone
Bristol Rovers Live is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.
Through the app, we’ll send the Bristol Rovers news, live match coverage, team news, transfers, fixtures, analysis and more straight to your phone.
To join our community you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select ‘Join Community’.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Bristol Live team.
We also treat community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out at any time you like.
To leave our community, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘Exit group’.
If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Come the summer of 2022 and with Rovers back in League One and Wimbledon replacing them in League Two, McCormick returned to BS7 on a permanent basis and a key conductor in that deal, as well as the loan move two years prior, was Wael Al Qadi.
Less than 24 hours before a whistle was blown up in Mansfield, it was announced by the club that the club president and his brother Samer would be handing over their shares of 45 per cent to chairman Hussain Al Saeed over the next 18 months.
As someone who is now in his fourth season as a Gas player, McCormick has been able to get to know the Jordanian well over the years and started his interview by paying tribute to the departing co-owner.
“I want to give a little mention to Wael,” he said. “He brought me back to the football club and I think everyone can agree he’s been brilliant. Heart and soul of the club so I wish him all the best in whatever he does next because he deserves it.
“I think as a young kid, my second loan, the most successful loan, almost kick started my career was here. He played a big part in that, obviously with his links with Chelsea, and just a fantastic bloke. Loves his football, loves the club and I just wish him all the best because you don’t meet loads of great people in football sometimes and he’s just one of them that, yeah, really, really good bloke and I wish him all the best.”